I'm just an 'Ordinary' Human
by PG87 Mertens
Summary: A guy gets hit by a truck and sent to a fantasy world. In there, he became a Demon Lord. However, things were not exactly going as he expected. He accidentally blew up that world and died. When he woke up, he found out that he was back in his original body. His Mom told him that he went into a coma for 2 years after the accident. Then, the world is not the same as he remembers it
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

This is a one-time opportunity, so you better pay attention.

Now, listen carefully.

I was just an ordinary guy. A dropped out guy; without a job, without a girlfriend. Living in my mom's house despite being 20 years old, I'm your so-called NEET.

But don't get me wrong. I did not experience a traumatic past or any of that bullshit that resulted in my NEET life. I chose this life. I mean, life is just a series of bad choices, am I right?

If so, then I'll choose the 'I can play video games and watch animes for the rest of my life' life.

Why is all of this important, you ask? I don't know, what do you think? Of course, it's for the character background.

Anyways, I thought my life wouldn't get any better, but it did.

I died.

To a truck.

And then I reincarnated in a fantasy world of magic.

Cool, right?

Heck no.

I mean, what can I do, I didn't get any superpowers despite reincarnating. Hell, I got negative abilities. I have no aptitude in magic in a world where even the lowest peasant can cast magic.

How can I even survive in this world of magic if I'm just an ordinary person?

Naturally, as a slave, I slept with the horses; hays as my pillows and air for a blanket. For 5 years, I ate hard bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every day. I consider it lucky if they gave me soup, and not if they didn't.

I thought my life wouldn't get any worse, but it did.

The kingdom fell to the attacks of the dark army.

Monsters of all shapes and sizes.

Orcs army, wyverns, Behemoths, an undead army, Demon Lord. You know all of these, right? Good, no need to explain.

The nobles I served died to them.

But surprise, surprise. I didn't.

Instead, I just changed jobs from a 'noble's slave' into a 'monster's slave'.

Nothing much has changed. I was still being worked as a slave anyway. Sometimes even becoming the Demon Lord's lab rat. The only grace is that I get to eat meat occasionally.

In my 10th year of reincarnating, I finally realized something. I don't age like any other humans do.

No matter what the Demon Lord fed me, be it poison or a curse, I always come back to a normal, perfect state after a matter of time. The Demon Lord became curious because of it and scouted me.

Alright, I got promoted.

Into an official lab rat, that is.

The Demon Lord fed me every poison and curse that he concocted to test the results. It was a variation of all torture that even hard-core masochists would say 'pass'.

That went on for hundreds of years.

I mean, technically, the Demon Lord also doesn't age.

We became friends, actually. The relationship like that of a human and his pet hamster. I get to eat delicious food every day and sleep in a warm and comfy bed. My life finally got better, I thought.

But sadly, the Demon Lord died in a battle.

When I thought I'm going to be transferred as a slave again, the Demon God suddenly said, "What do you think of becoming the new Demon Lord?"

So I did. I became a Great Demon Lord.

He bestowed me a magic aptitude better than those of summoned Heroes. I also received power stronger than any other Demon Lords' in history. Why?

Usually, the 'Immortality' part consumes the biggest portion of power granted by Demon God bro. However, since I'm already an Immortal, all those portions became a supplement to my magical power instead.

This is where the fun part started.

Killing sacred beasts, massacring cities with an army of undead, headhunting servants of God, displaying the Heroes' heads in my shelf, plaguing a whole continent with deadly virus... Damn, I wreaked havoc in that world. It was great. 'Was'.

After 2000 years of toying with the humans, they gave up hope. They no longer resisted. No matter what I did, they just accepted whatever death I granted them.

An empty feeling consumed me. I regret massacring their cities. I regret destroying their continents. I regret hunting Heroes and servants of God. I regretted all of my actions.

So what I did next was simple. I began to research a way to get into another world.

I mean, if I toyed with the humans slowly, they would last a little longer than 2000 years, right?

Yes, what I regretted was that I toyed with them too roughly. That's why their spirits broke after just 2000 years of suffering. I forgot how frail humans can be.

My research was advancing smoothly, and even Demon God bro approved of it. He's also a destruction-loving pervert like me, I guess.

But, I overestimated my ability. I couldn't wait anymore so I hastily finished something again. A repetition of my past actions. The result?

The transportation circle blew up. My body got sent into oblivion, destroying that world in the process. Even Demon God bro can't revive me, so I died again. Shit.

I was already waiting for Hell's door, but it never came. I guess even Satan himself felt threatened by my presence if I go there.

I don't know how long I floated in the darkness, neither dying nor living. I don't have a corporeal body yet I can think. Unexpectedly, I didn't feel anger or hatred. I just felt... empty. I suddenly realized: what I felt before wasn't emptiness. It was lust, hunger. And now, this emptiness is the only feeling that remained in me.

In a space where nothing exists yet I remained, my mind thought over my past 2 lives. My ordinary life on Earth and that damned piece-of-shit magical world. In the end, the biggest regret that I realized, surprisingly, is that I didn't even get a chance to say 'I love you' or 'Thank you' to my mom.

In my original world, I live a carefree and peaceful life. I can eat when I wanted to eat, sleep in a comfy bed when I wanted to sleep. No one can dictate my life other than me.

Compared to when I was living in the magical world, where every mistake equals punishment, it was heaven above hell. There came a point of time that I even wished I was better off dead instead. But even fate isn't so kind to me, taking away the liberation called death.

In the end, I missed my original world, where I could've lived peacefully in my whole life.

If I would be given a third chance of reincarnating, I would definitely try to avoid my regrets. I would never make the same mistakes again. I would cherish my loved ones more than my life, and live with them peacefully until I grow old.

I thought, and thought, and thought, and thought. An endless cycle of thinking and waiting.

And just when I thought I would forever drift into nothingness, a white light suddenly consumed me. The light was too strong that I thought I was going to heaven. It scared me. But instead, what happened next gave me a huge but pleasant surprise.

The first thing that entered my vision is a beautiful middle-aged woman. Short blond hair, big almond eyes, pale white skin. She wore a white coat as she embraced me, sobbing.

At that instant, a feeling of familiarity arose in my heart. It's like I know this woman but at the same time, I don't. I recognize the contours of her face. Because no matter how beautiful the elves or faeries in that magical world are, this face was somehow engraved in my mind.

I felt a sense of warmth, a feeling I already forgot. My hazy memories finally recalled who this woman was.

"It's okay, mom. It's okay..."

I patted her back as she continued sobbing. I looked around, and just like I thought. I noticed that I am in a hospital room, complete with hospital equipment supporting my body. The nurses already left to give me and my mom privacy.

After a few minutes, she finally stopped crying.

"I-I thought you wouldn't wake up. You were in comatose for 2 years, you know! Hic..."

Just like I thou-

"Huh? What tomatoes?"

"Comatose. You were in a coma for 2 years, my son."

'Oh, okay'- like hell it is! Coma? I was in a coma? The magical world... How about the hardships and tortures I went through? Are you saying that it was all a dream? Are you kidding me?! I felt all of those pains down to my bones! Every needle inserted in my arm, I screamed in anguish! How can that all be a dream?!

"Son? Son? Your face is turning pale, are you okay? Do you need anything? Here, drink some water."

My mom's gentle voice brought a stop to my darkening thoughts. I remember now. Her name is Minerva. Minerva Mertens.

"I-I'm okay. I just spaced out for a bit..."

I took the cup from her and drank from it. The clear and cold water washed away my thoughts, cooling off my head.

'Fuu~'

I sighed lightly as I tried to reorganize my thoughts.

"Let's go home, my son. You need a lot of catching up to do."

My mom said with a smile.

"...okay."

My family consists of me and my mom only. Father left us when I was young, so my mom raised me alone. She worked as a doctor. I heard she was also the one who took care of me for the past 2 years I am in a coma.

We lived in a well-off suburb in Upper West side of Manhattan, New York. In a not so large house, I and my mom lived together. She did not permit me to live alone in a dormitory during my college days as she pampered me like a baby. I guess she was one of the reasons why I became a NEET, though I don't blame her.

Back to being an ordinary human, there's only one thing I can do.

'Let's watch all the animes that I failed to finish first. And maybe live a normal life this time.'

Or, so I thought. I didn't realize that the Earth I lived in now was already far from normal.

A man in a metal suit flying around the city, saving those in need. A buff 90-years old dude in cryogenic hibernation. A human turning into a giant green monster with anger issues. A self-proclaimed god of thunder with muscles for brains wielding a hammer.

These are just some of the abnormalities that arrived in my world.

Now, what is happening, you ask?

I don't f*cking know. Maybe the Gods of the world I destroyed followed me and sent superheroes to kill me in revenge? Because after a few months of living in this world, I realized something: I can still use the magic spells I learned in the magical world.

How? Let me explain magic in simple terms. Magic is the result of forcefully using the external forces to make it do your bidding. It can be achieved in several methods, like chanting, magic circles, scrolls, enchantments, etc. In short, it was no different from the novels you've read so far.

Back to the superheroes. Yeah, they're real, alright. I confirmed it.

Not only that.

When I used global search magic to find more abnormalities like these, my head hurts because I couldn't count them all. A dark organization planning to disrupt the world? An advanced civilization being hidden from the world? And there's even a group of sorcerers no different from where I came from.

Apparently, it seems like my not-so-normal life will continue with these oddities in existence.

So here I am, recounting you my story. I hope you listen, and listen well.

For I, the Great Demon Lord that destroyed a world, the harbinger of death itself, shall avoid these so-called superheroes and live my normal life. Hopefully.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, what are your superpowers?"

A blonde woman said with sparkling eyes. She wore a loose cardigan on top of her black shirt. Her legs wrapped in tight skinny jeans. On her left chest is a nametag: Lynn Walsh. The woman gave a very familiar feeling as she approached me.

I know I just said that I will live my life normally but, what can I do.

Several months after I woke up from the coma, I completely ignored the fact that the world was littered with humans with superpowers. If not for my mom's existence in this world, I would've made this planet a much 'better' place, with corpses littering the ground. Instead, I minded my own business.

I continued my daily life of watching anime and playing video games. I completed all the shows that I missed and started watching new ones. You can see me playing video games if not watching animes.

All went well until today.

During breakfast, my mom ordered me to go outside and walk the dog. But the dog can't even walk with me holding the leash. Animals have a much keener sense than humans, so it must've sensed my dreadful aura. The dog is trembling even now.

When I was walking with the dog, three clichéd thugs suddenly approached me, extorting some money. One of them even flashed a knife in front of me.

I was surprised.

This was literally my first time for the past 2000 years to be threatened. In my previous life, after I became a Demon Lord, I vowed that I will not let myself get hurt or threatened ever again. It became a habit of mine to obliterate anyone who threatens my safety the moment they appeared. And as they say, habits require a long time to erase.

These guys... deserved 'praise' for threatening the herald of death.

I stretched out my hands. Under their clichéd ridiculing snickers, a blue magic circle with complicated runes appeared.

[Shock], a tier 1 variety of [Lightning Magic: Human]. It's a magic created for beginner lightning-element human mages. It has no other uses than to shock your friend awake if he ever gets sleepy during a night patrol.

Magic is generally separated into three: Human magic, Demonic magic, and Dragonian magic. I know them all, all down to basics. Why? Try spending 2000 years in boredom. Dragonian magic is the strongest of the three, followed by Demonic and Human magic respectively. Although there is a higher class of magic, I'm not going to explain it yet as it will be mentioned in this novel sooner or later anyway.

In short, Human magic is the weakest of them all.

But because I, a Demon Lord, used it, the tier 1 magic appeared like a tier 3 [Electric Bolt]. Needless to say, the three thugs became like burnt lizards sprawled on the ground.

*katcha*

A familiar sound.

When I turned around in response to that sound, another katcha resounded with a flash of light. A blonde haired girl was standing right there, flashing her camera.

And that's how we got here.

"Hey, hey, are you a superhero? You are, right? Tell me about your superpowers. Can you let me see it? Please let me see it. Ah. Do you know Iron Man? Are you two acquaintances? Hey, please answer me..."

I hid my intention to kill the woman as I tried to find a way out of this. If I remember correctly, in this world, you don't immediately kill a witness. Unless you're a psychopath. But I'm not a psychopath (said the genocidal maniac who caused a planet's destruction). I turned over a new leaf, or at least I tried to.

A thought flashed in my mind. A harmless method that guaranteed success no matter where you are, or what the circumstances are. The strongest card that humanity used when I invaded their countries. Their last resort.

"P-please delete the picture?"

Begging.

The woman blinked. I never killed a single soul ever since arriving here, so my records are still clean. Trust me, those thugs are not dead yet. See, one of them even twitched in response. They look fine if we ignore the fact that they smelled like burnt crap.

I am not against killing, but I don't kill without a reason anymore. I'm a perfect example of a reasonable person, after all.

"Don't wanna."

'Let's kill her.'

I desperately tried to calm myself down so as to not accidentally kill this woman.

"Pretty please?"

I tried once again. A Great Demon Lord, even greater than Satan himself, begging to a puny human. If Demon God bro knew of this matter, I would be ashamed to death.

The woman imitated a thinking posture. And after a while, she raised her head.

"On one condition."

You dare blackmail me? Me?! The Great Demon Lord?! I stepped on countless Kings' heads as they groveled before me, made dragons reheat my food, and even made the summoned heroes my servants. Now, this puny woman dares blackmail me?!

"Hahaha yeah, sure. Anything within my capabilities."

I said with a forced smile. The woman then grinned widely.

"Become a superhero."

"Miss, have mercy. Anything but that."

I flatly refused her; the last thing I wanted was to become of those philanthropists. I don't want to wear briefs on top of my pants while flying around the city, mind you. I don't want to wear a skin-tight spandex suit either.

Seeing my earnest refusal, the woman gave up on the superhero-thing, much to my relief.

"Hmmm. Let's see... if you don't want to become a superhero... then maybe..."

Just as I was planning to teleport away while she was busy murmuring to herself, she exclaimed.

"Alright! But this one you can't refuse. If you don't want to become a superhero, then work with me!"

Work? That's the other last thing I wanted to do besides being a superhero. As I was about to refuse her, I suddenly remembered the conversation I had with my mom last week.

"Son, when will you try to find a job?"

My mom suddenly said while picking up the plates.

"Don't worry, mom. I will never leave your side and always guard the house. I will make sure that it is protected from thieves at all times."

"*sigh* If you say so..."

After that, my mom went to the kitchen. And thanks to my enhanced hearing, I accidentally heard her soliloquy.

"*sigh* What should I do to our son, honey. Where did we go wrong? I just hope that I can still support him with this frail body until the day I die..."

After that, I did consider finding a job. But it's hard to find one with a dropped out record like mine, add to that my below average grades. I thought of going to college again, but my lazy nature got the best of me as I instantly rejected the idea the moment it appeared.

'This situation... might be an opportunity.'

Note:

Explaining magic for a bit.

Another difference between Human, Demonic and Dragonian magic is the language used in casting. But because it's already translated into English, you can't really tell it apart. That's why I'll put a 'Demonic' or 'Dragonian' if either language is used.

[Human magic]- Only has tier 1-10 and Unique tier magic spells

[Demonic magic]- Has tier 1-10, Unique tier, and Demonic-God tier spells

[Dragonian magic]- Only has Unique tier and Dragonian-God tier spells

[God magic]- It's God-tier magic

Additional: He didn't lose the memory of all the magic he casted before so he can still use them if he just uttered the word.

About the mana usage: If a magic circle appeared, it means borrowing the mana from the surroundings, thus no need for the mana in his body. The magic circles are also created/memorized by his brain.

If he will use the mana inside his body, he can cast a spell without a magic circle (useful for stealth casting)


	3. Chapter 3

"What's your job anyway?" I asked the woman.

"I worked for a newspaper company named Daily Bugle. I'm a journalist there, and I urgently need an assistant." Lynn said with the sincerest smile she could muster.

I squinted my eyes. "Your real motives?"

"I'm a failure as a journalist so I tried to find superheroes in hopes of saving my job! Please help me!"

I turned around with the intention to leave.

"W-wait, wait, wait! Hear me out first, partner!"

She already started calling me partner.

"Wait a second, okay?"

I stopped and faced her again. I sighed and said: "Please make it quick. I still have to walk my dog."

Relieved, she quickly organized herself. After a while, she started her introduction.

"As you can see, my name is Lynn Walsh. And like I said, I'm on the verge of being fired if I still can't produce any results by the end of this month. So in order to save my job, I started finding other superheroes like Iron Man."

Up till here, she still had a normal expression. But in the next moment, she sighed in disappointment while shaking her head.

"And as expected, my leading clues never got me anywhere."

Lynn then raised her head, showing me a wide smile.

"I almost gave up hope, until I met you."

"Don't make it sound romantical. The readers might get the wrong impression."

"Now, here's the offer."

Ignoring my statement, she loudly declared as she straightened her body with her arms akimbo.

"Since you don't want to become a superhero and I can't get a scoop out of your pictures, you're gonna help me find these superheroes instead. This is gonna be a long time deal so make up your mind. But I suggest that you accept it. You don't want these pictures going viral, don't you?"

"I could just destroy your camera, you know?"

"The pictures are already sent to the laptop in my home though?" She said while adopting an innocent smile.

Staying silent after I heard her, I pondered. Though I don't want to get involved in this superhero business, I'm not against the idea of having a lax job with adequate pay. Sure, I do think it's bothersome, and I hate the fact that I'm being threatened, but it's also true that I was careless earlier when using magic. More importantly...

After debating for a bit, I secretly activated a magic spell. My round pupils became a slit for a second before going back to normal after I blinked. Lynn failed to notice the abrupt change.

With that, I confirmed my suspicions.

This woman, Lynn Walsh, is about to die a few days from now.

How did I manage to notice? Being a Demon Lord for two millenniums, I naturally developed a strong connection with death. After observing the mana in her body with the unique tier magic [Death Aura Perception: Demonic], I finally confirmed the strong death aura lingering around her.

So that's why she gave a familiar feeling when I first saw her.

I couldn't care less about the death of other humans, but this woman's death aura was several folds thicker than a normal dying person.

There are two cases that I thought of first: 1. She contacted a strong curse that will surely cause her death, or 2. She offended a divine being that took her blessing upon birth and caused the death elements to surround her until she met her end.

The first case is the best logical explanation and also the easiest to solve. I already discovered many abnormalities in this world that I was unaware of before, so it's not strange if a strong curse like this exists. The only mystery was how she managed to contact a curse this strong. I mean, a curse like this can almost compete with my tier 6 curse magic, both with potent and deadliness. If this is the case, I can just replace it with a much stronger curse and remove my curse, effectively removing the current curse in her body.

The second case, while it appeared simple, is the hardest to solve. Even in my long lifespan, I can only count on one hand the number of divine beings I encountered, including Demon God bro. Moreover, managing to anger that God to the point of condemnation is just absurd for a human like her. If she really encountered and angered a divine being, I would immediately start calling her Big Sis and acknowledge her as my senior. Also, I don't have any immediate solution to this case.

And while I do have a third case in mind, it was even more absurd than the second case so I immediately discarded that notion.

I tried putting my strongest curse on her body with the first case in my mind, but after I removed it, the death aura surrounding her didn't even budge in the least. That leaves me to case 2, or possibly 3.

Deactivating my tier 5 magic [Parallel Thoughts: Human] which made my brain process data much faster, I murmured to myself. "It was so long ago that I felt this curious..."

And that, kids, is how I met your mother. Just kidding.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mom, I'm going out for a bit."

"Eat breakfast first~"

"Okay."

I replied while adjusting my black necktie in front of a mirror. After that, I went downstairs to eat breakfast.

Needless to say, my mom dropped the plate she was holding after seeing me in formal office attire. Good thing I caught it with my super-fast reflex.

"My son... My son is finally entering the society? I'm glad." Mom said while wiping the tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Ah, uhm, yeah..." I replied dejectedly.

Geez, I know that I've been holed up in my room for ages, and after that, I even went into a coma, but she didn't have to be this harsh!

While I was earnestly trying to fit in the society after waking up, my mentality as a Demon Lord made it extra hard for me to do so. That's why I gave up after several job interviews and became a NEET again. But it was out of my expectation to meet that death-girl, Lynn.

And now, I got a job recommendation to become her assistant. Finding superheroes together... How great.

During my time as a Demon Lord, whenever I see a hero, I didn't even put them in my eyes. They're no more than an ant in front of me, so why bother. But now I have to find them with a death-attracting girl by my side.

"Don't be so nervous, Finn. This is just to make it official. After this, we will start working right away!" Lynn said full of enthusiasm.

No, you're the one that's nervous. I've met countless rulers in my previous life and even made them wipe my shoes, so there's no way I would be nervous just meeting your office director. You, on the other hand, have been fidgeting and drinking water nonstop ever since we got here.

We are in a forty-six stories tall building with the logo of 'Daily Bugle' in 30-foot letters on the roof. Right now, we entered in one of the three editorial offices with the nameplate: Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Joseph Robertson.

Lynn said that I'm her assistant but in name only, so we're here to make it official. This is how their conversation went.

"Chief! Good morning!" Lynn loudly shouted.

"Keep your voice down, you idiot!" A man in his late 50s berated Lynn. The man had dark skin and whitening hair. He put his pen down as he stopped writing. "*sigh* Quickly state your business. Can't you see that I'm busy?"

Lynn became serious as she instantly got into the topic.

"Chief, I'm here to officially hire my assistant."

Robertson looked at me for a moment, and then looked at Lynn.

"No." He shook his head. A direct refusal.

'Good job, Chief.' I praised him in my mind.

"How many times have I told you? If you can't produce any result by the end of this month, you're fired! And now you wanted to get an assistant instead of using your time to get a new scoop? Find Stark. Get an interview. And ask questions! How hard is that?"

Lynn's face paled. Gritting her teeth, she said. "Chief, I'm serious this time. I promise I will get you that scoop no matter what. So please reconsider your decision!"

Robertson stared hard at her for a moment, before sighing. "Your dad used to say that you would become an amazing journalist someday. I still believe that even now..."

Lynn clenched her fist.

"So I'm gonna give you one last time." Robertson declared. "His salary will be deducted to yours. I'm gonna tell my assistant to process the necessary paperwork later, so get me that goddamn scoop!"

"Yes! You won't regret this, Chief!" Lynn bowed profusely.

We exited the office, with the bgm of Robertson's sighs.

After that, we went to Lynn's small office/cubicle.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"What do you think? Of course, I'm packing up. We're gonna leave for Monaco tomorrow for the Grand Prix. Stark's gonna be there. And just as you've heard, if I don't get that Stark interview, I'm fired. And you're fired too."

'Isn't that good news for me?' I silently thought. But after thinking about it, if we both get fired, I still doubt she'll be erasing those pictures. Besides, my mom's hope went up after seeing me getting a job. Wouldn't she get devastated after knowing I got fired the next day after?

"Let's go. We have a lot of things to prepare for tomorrow. Make sure you keep up!"

"You sure don't waste any time, huh. Good grief."


	5. Chapter 5

May 22, 2010

*knock, knock*

"Son, wake up, your co-worker is here."

Early in the morning, my mom knocked on my door, calling me. Coincidentally, I similarly knocked the door away in the video game I was playing. I was up all night, playing the newly released Battlefield. (Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is released on March 2, 2010)

"What co-worker? Why is your co-worker looking for me, mom?" I replied somewhat absentmindedly.

"I said 'your' co-worker, not mine! She said her name is Lynn, she's waiting downstairs."

Lynn? Ah, shit. I totally forgot that I'm employed now as her assistant and we're going to Monaco today. I mean, it's Saturday, for f*ck's sake.

I lazily got up, brushed my teeth and took a quick bath. Downstairs, I found Lynn seated on a sofa, facing mom as they chatted to some tea. I don't know what they're talking about though, so I minded my own business and silently ate the breakfast.

After I finished eating, I couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"I promise to take care of your son no matter what," Lynn said somewhat resolutely.

"As I said, don't say misleading things. Look, the readers aren't amused."

"What are you talking about? It's only normal for their seniors to take care of their juniors, isn't it, Mom?"

Who are you calling mom? And when did the two of you get so close in the short period of time that you met?!

"Yes, that's right. I'll leave my son to you~" Mom chuckled lightly.

"You can count on me!"

"Oi, you. Meet me outside." I vowed to instill some shame into this girl's head. With a beating, of course.

"More importantly, what are doing? Why are you bringing all of the things in your house with you? We're only going there for 3 days tops!" I said while pointing at the three huge pieces of luggage at her side. They were almost at the height of my waist with each of them bulging.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lynn replied while tilting her head. "Oh, you mean these? Naturally, I came prepared. I brought a week's change of clothes with me in case something happens. I also brought my newly purchased swimsuits with me. There's also towels, bathrobe, blankets, pillows, sunscreen, and even Sheila and Maya."

"We're not going on a vacation! And don't casually stuff dead bodies in there! Good grief..."

"What are you saying? Sheila and Maya are my pet dogs. I can't leave them unattended while I'm away for a few days, can I? Besides, it's okay." Lynn revealed a crafty smile. "If we can just pass the baggage check, they won't notice any abnormality."

'No, because you're the abnormality here.' I cursed in my mind.

"Anyways," While pointing at her luggage, I coldly declared. "Leave those two and your dogs."

"No way?!" Lynn's eyes widened in surprise.

"Leave it or we won't leave."

"Kuk...!"

"Bring only spare clothes enough for 3 days. The dogs can stay here. Mom will take care of them."

Lynn gritted her teeth. Crouching down, she opened one luggage and took out the dogs in the cage. This girl... Who puts dogs inside their bags just to sneak it to the airport? Even I who just woke up from coma know that airports have a strict policy of allowing animals to travel. Besides, you can't get past the thermal inspection even if you put ice inside that bag.

"Uuu... Alright... fine." With teary eyes, she apologized to her dogs and promised to take them on the next trip.

"Please take care of them, Mom." She said to MY mom.

"You can rest assured. I'm already taking care of 1 dog, so 2 more is not a problem. Have a safe trip, okay?"

In the end, she was forced to take just one luggage. She stuffed her clothes and swimsuits until it burst out, so I had to limit it again. We then flagged a taxi to the airport.

"By the way, what did you bring? You can't possibly fit all your clothes inside that small backpack, right?" Lynn curiously asked.

"I can." I curtly replied.

"See, you can- huh? What?"

Naturally, I used a variety of [Space magic], tier 5 [Storage]. But I can't possibly say that out loud, so I just changed the topic immediately.

"More importantly, what's your plan? You can't just barge in hoping for an interview, you know?"

To my question, Lynn instantly grinned and took out something from her handbag.

"Fufufu. I already processed all the things we're going to need; from airplane tickets to Grand Prix tickets, and even two rooms in a hotel! Preparation is the key to success! Aren't I great?" She puffed her chest out irritatingly as she boasted the tickets.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." I replied, uninterested.

"Now, let's go to Monaco!"

"Don't shout, this is not a shounen manga. Good grief."

Monaco is best known for its tax-free casinos. It has always been a trip destination for rich tycoons that love gambling. It is even safe to say that tourism became the number one source of income of the country because of the casinos. Although, the weird thing is, locals of Monaco are not allowed to gamble. Must be awful to live in a country of gambling that forbids you to gamble.

There are no airports in Monaco. That is why; our plane would land on Cote d'Azur Airport in Nice, France, which is just a 30-minute ride to Monaco's capital.

Our 9-hour flight passed by quietly, and it is already early evening when our plane arrived in France. Furthermore, we traveled again for 30 minutes just to get to our hotel in Monte-Carlo. Imagine how fatigued a normal human would be after that traveling.

"Ugh. So tired. Wanna rest."

See? Even the ultra-energetic Lynn instantly slumped down to bed after arriving in the hotel. Hotel de Paris. Apparently, this is where Stark will be tomorrow before the Grand Prix. However...

"You said two rooms. Why are we in a room with two beds then? Where's the other room?"

"Geez, don't mind the small details. As long as... there's a place to sleep... it's fine..." She continued dawdling on the bed until she fell asleep, even forgetting to remove her shoes and change clothes.

"Good grief."

I went to the other bed and similarly prepared to sleep.

I closed my eyes, waiting till sleep takes me in.

But it never came.

Ever since I came back here, I never experienced sleep even once.

I sighed.

"Good grief indeed..."


	6. Chapter 6

"You got the camera ready?" Lynn said as she glanced at me.

"For the sixth time, yes. Good grief, don't be paranoid. We're just asking for an interview." I rolled my eyes at her.

We're on the lobby of the hotel right now. Lynn woke me up early, we went for some breakfast, and back to the room again to get the necessary equipment/camera. According to Lynn, Stark, the Iron Man, will drop by here to watch the Grand Prix or support his company's race car. It is the only chance to ask for an interview.

A little while later, a Rolls Royce car stopped in front of the hotel.

The first who came out is a middle-aged man of average height. An American, has Caucasian skin, and brown eyes. He has black hair, which is kept in a rough-edged manner. The man has a mustache that runs all the way down to his cheeks, then straight to his chin making an enclosed form, with a small goatee as well on his upper chin. He wore a neat grey tuxedo while waving at the bystanders near the hotel.

He is Tony Stark, owner of the Stark Industries. The Billionaire in a Flying Metal Suit. Iron Man, as the public calls it.

Stark was followed by a beautifully dressed woman with a knee-length skirt and high heels, and another bodyguard-looking man in a black tuxedo. The bodyguard held a futuristic red suitcase as he followed the two inside the hotel.

After Stark and the woman entered the hotel, they were immediately greeted with courteous smiles by the staffs. Then, a redhead woman dressed in an alluring red outfit greeted them. Her name is Natalie Rushman. Why did I know? Let's turn back a few minutes ago.

"Natalie! Thank god, I finally found you." Lynn grabbed the woman named Natalie as she sighed in relief.

"Lynn. What are you doing here? Aren't you in New York?" Natalie blinked, surprised.

"Ugh. It's for work. For work." Lynn winced as she pathetically rubbed her temples. "About the thing I asked... Is it possible?"

Natalie is the current assistant of Stark, or so I head from Lynn.

Natalie adapted a thinking expression, before nodding. "I guess taking a picture is fine. But I'm not sure if he'll agree to the interview. I can't promise anything."

"That's plenty enough! Thank you!"

Back to the topic:

Natalie greeted the two as she gestured to them.

"Uhm. We have one photographer from the ACM, if you don't mind. Okay?"

Of course, the photographer from ACM she was talking about was me. It was a cover, although I don't know why Lynn even bothered.

"Um-mhm" Stark hummed in agreement, smiling widely as he turned to face me.

"When did this happen?" The woman beside him softly said.

"What? You made me do it."

"I made you do what?"

"You quit. Smile. Look, right there. Stop acting constipated. Don't flare your nostrils."

They whispered to each other. I don't know what they're talking about though so I just minded my own business and took the pictures. Then they walked further inside.

'Hmmm'

As I watched his leaving back, I used [Parallel Thoughts].

This man, Tony Stark, is one of the superheroes who goes around the city saving people. In my knowledge, he created a full-body metal suit, not unlike that of Gundam, only human-sized. He shocked the world as he revealed his identity as the Iron Man on a news conference several months ago. A natural genius.

But now, he was no more than a dying man.

I don't know what the heck happened, but I can see quite a lot of death elements surrounding him. Like I said before, I don't care about the death of normal humans. Yes, that only applies to normal humans.

If you can call a man who successfully built a futuristic suit that can compete with magical equipment without the help of magic 'normal', then what would you call the humans that did nothing to contribute in society? (said the guy who, last week ago, was just a NEET that did nothing to contribute in society)

Moreover, he's not only raising charities to help the children in Africa, he's also trying to make the world peaceful by purging those terrorists. And by doing so, not only am I free of trouble; I'm also free of trouble! (Important things should be repeated twice.)

But when all was said and done, at the end of the day, I can't claim myself to be a good man. As a Demon Lord in my past life, I never knew the word 'help'. Even now, I knew that the world is full of hidden dangers and impending chaos yet I did nothing to stop any of those, resulting in deaths of countless people.

That's why, I won't meddle in Stark's affairs, but I will keep a watch on him. That's the least that I could do. For this man, who defied the limitations of mankind using pure technology...

Deactivating the magic [Parallel Thoughts], I then casted another magic. A small magic circle the size of a coin appeared inside Stark's body; precisely, his heart. The magic circle embedded itself there, unnoticed by even Stark himself.


	7. Chapter 7

"In the end, we didn't even get a chance to ask for an interview..." Lynn sighed dejectedly.

"We got plenty of time." I consoled while pretending to watch the TV. "Besides, Ms. Potts becoming the new CEO of Stark Industries is a piece of news that Robertson wouldn't refuse."

We overheard their conversation to others a while back, that's why we knew. It really is a news-worthy scoop.

"I hope you're right." Lynn sighed once again. "But still, let's go find Mr. Stark to ask that interview. Where is he anyway?"

In the bathroom. Changing into an F1 race uniform.

But I can't say that, can I? I deactivated the tier 6 magic [Clairvoyance: Dragonian] and took a sip to my orange juice. So refreshing.

What I just used was a magic spell that can 'spy' other people, no matter where they are in this world. It can monitor an individual's activities by utilizing the all-purpose mana in the surroundings.

Of course, I cannot just use it to spy whoever I wanted to. There are limitations. Like if I want to locate someone and use [Clairvoyance], I would need to calculate their longitude and latitude location. And it's not easy to do so; that's why I used the tier 3 magic, [Tracing Searcher: Human], usually used by the hunters in the magical world. That's the magic circle that I place on Stark's heart earlier. It automatically provides the location of the target, making it easy for me to use [Clairvoyance]. These two magic combined sort of works like a GPS + satellite.

Ah, now he's in the F1 race track. That's on the TV by the way, not on my magic. And as Lynn saw Stark on TV making a ruckus, she started heading off outside the hotel. Stark seems like he forcefully replaced the driver of his company's race car.

As we arrived in the Grand Prix grandstand, the F1 cars are already revved up; engines roaring and tires producing white smoke. Then, the go sign resounded, signaling the start of the race.

The F1 cars started unhurriedly at first until all of them began to speed up, wanting to be in the lead. Stark's surprisingly not bad at this race car driving, as he can be seen competing with others just fine. The bystanders can be seen shouting Stark's name.

All's going well, until a man dressed in orange as a pit crew walked inside the race track. The staffs supervising the race shouted at the man, telling him to come back. But the man seems like he heard nothing as he ripped his shirt while walking.

Revealing two long whips, the man's shirt was set ablaze; not because of fire, but because of electricity. What appeared underneath his shirt is crude-looking armor that seems to imitate something.

In the next second, the whips produced electric current.

As an F1 car approaches the man, he suddenly lashed out the electrical whip. The car was cleanly cut in half as it proceeded to crash on the track's fence. The people screamed, panicking and stampeding away from that place.

The F1 car blew up once more and one if its tires miraculously flew towards the audience area. Should I say it's as expected or just bad luck? The car's tire was coincidentally headed our way; or more precisely, headed straight towards Lynn. While she closed her eyes, I slapped it away and pretended to stumble backward. I quickly looked around. Good, no one suspected a thing as most of them are busy caring for themselves. Good grief, the death elements around her are diligently working too, I see.

The man proceeded to cut some more cars until Stark's F1 car arrived. The man's eyes lit up. Then, he mercilessly cut the car in two pieces. Before the electric whiplash, Stark car was no different from others. His car tossed and tumbled, crashing upside down.

The man took his time walking up to Stark's car. And after arriving, he further cut it in half.

However, to his surprise, Stark had already gotten out of the car and seemingly escaped.

Unexpectedly, Stark struck the man from behind. Having escaped from his car, Stark attempted to knock the man out, but despite all his best efforts, the man's crude weaponry seemed to be Stark's downfall, as he was unable to defend himself from the deadly whips which the man swung at him, although he still managed to avoid several of the lethal blows aimed at him.

Stark managed to cause an explosion to put some distance between himself and the man using the leaking gasoline from the destroyed F1 cars. However, the man refused to give up so easily. As he continued walking towards Stark and just before the man could whip Stark to death, a Rolls Royce car drove into the fight and crashed into him, pinning the man to the wall and briefly knocking him out.

Needless to say, inside the car were Ms. Potts and the bodyguard. Stark sighed in relief.

They appeared arguing about something as Ms. Potts looked angrily at him.

Just as Stark opened the door to get inside the car, an electric whiplash suddenly cut the door in half. The Rolls Royce car tried to pin down the man again, while the man attempted to escape by cutting the car completely into pieces in a fit of rage.

Finally, when the man successfully cut the car into two, Ms. Potts suddenly threw a red suitcase towards Stark. Stark's eyes lit up.

Stark caught that suitcase. Opening it, the red suitcase repeatedly transformed, finally covering Stark's whole body in metal armor. The seemingly normal suitcase was actually an Iron Man suit in disguise.

Donning in the Iron Man suit, Stark kicked the car with Ms. Potts inside out of harm's way.

At that moment, I realized: I feel like I'm watching a movie...


	8. Chapter 8

Now fully prepared for the battle, Stark fought back against the man. While Iron Man was now more durable, the man blocked Stark's gauntlet strikes while Stark struggled to defend himself against the deadly electric whips, which the man had managed to wrap around Stark's neck. The man delighted in Stark's suffering.

But despite the man's best efforts to kill him by increasing the power of the whips while trying to choke him, Stark eventually defeated the man using his Iron Man suit. With two punches to the face and stomach, the man was unable to stand and Stark destroyed the man's crude armor while he was captured and taken away to prison. As he was being pulled away by the police, the man spat out his own blood and continued to mock Stark, claiming that Stark had lost the fight.

Good grief, it sure turned into chaos real quick. Naturally, the F1 race stopped. The race staffs tried to pacify the masses, while I and Lynn were escorted out of the grandstand.

"Ah! We forgot to take pictures of the battle!"

You're noticing that only now? Outside, Lynn suddenly exclaimed with a shocked expression.

"Don't worry. I took several pictures of it."

"Are you a god?!"

Turning to me, Lynn said with widened eyes. Well, I could've achieved Godhood if I tried a bit harder, but there's no way I can tell you that.

While Lynn was on a good mood, I poured cold water over her head, saying: "Now that Stark's attacked, there's no way we'll get that interview here in Monaco."

Lynn crumbled again. Yep, watching her change expressions is a little amusing so I just can't help it.

"M-maybe if we tried harder-"

"Ah, what? Stark just said they would come back to New York tonight? See?" I pretended to have heard something from a bystander and turned to Lynn.

Although, it was not a lie that they would fly to New York tonight. I heard while using my [Clairvoyance] to check on them occasionally.

Lynn sighed in defeat. But in the next moment, she happily cheered like a little girl. "Alright fine. Since we couldn't get that interview, we still have 2 days more before our flight back to New York. We're in Monaco, so we should make the best out of it! Let's go!"

"Sand!" Lynn crouched down and grabbed a fistful of sand.

"Sun!" Lynn stretched her arms widely, basking in the sunlight.

"Sea!" Lynn ran towards the beach.

"We're in Monaco Beach!"

Seeing such a childish act, I distanced myself away from her because of shame. Even after receiving quite a lot of weird glances, Lynn continued playing like a kid on the shore. Wait... she is basically a kid trapped in an adult body, and we're in a beach anyway, so whatever.

I set up the beach umbrella that Lynn got from god-knows-where and laid the blanket. Next, I took out the sunscreen and applied some on my skin. Even though I can use strong magic, my weak body is still vulnerable to the elements, no different than that of normal humans. Unless I put a buff on me, of course. But putting a buff just so I could protect myself from sunlight seems absurd, so I used a sunscreen instead.

Taking a sip from my orange juice, I enjoyed the view of swimsuit beauties walking around the beach. Ah, so refreshing.

"Finn! Join me! The water's so nice here!"

While I was basking in delight, an annoying voice suddenly interrupted me. Lynn was currently riding on a Jet Ski. This woman really does whatever she wants.

"Yeah, yeah. Knock yourself out." I uninterestedly replied and continued to ogle at the beauties.

In the next moment, however, my eyes widened. A bad premonition crept up inside me. I looked at Lynn. And just as I thought, the Jet Ski she was riding on seems out of control.

"I said 'knock yourself out' but I didn't mean to knock yourself out literally!"

"H-help meee- woaahh!"

I quickly swam towards her after casting deceleration magic, noticeably decreasing the speeding Jet Ski. Meanwhile, I casted an acceleration magic on myself.

"Fiiiinnn-! Save meeee-!" Lynn's scream got nearer and nearer after a minute of swimming.

I... was surprisingly getting tired. I failed to realize the consequence of using an acceleration magic with a weak body constitution. Just imagine how a 1990 car would look like after you replaced its engine with an F1 race car engine. That is what's happening to my body at the moment.

After the Jet Ski got far enough from the shore, and after making sure that no one can see what's happening anymore, I casted psychokinetic magic to the Jet Ski, effectively stopping it in its track. I reached Lynn quickly after.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"That..." I can notice Lynn's minute trembling.

Just when I was about to ask again if she was really okay, she quickly raised her head, showing a big smile. "That was great! One more, one more!"

I sighed in relief. It looks like she was okay. I checked the Jet Ski using an x-ray vision-like magic and was astounded at what I saw. Inside the Jet Ski, was a motherf*cking seashell. How can there be a seashell in there?! After thinking about the death elements surrounding Lynn, I didn't care anymore. Good thing she was an airhead and didn't ask any more about my abilities.

But it goes without saying that the Jet Ski can no longer work. And just as expected, we are almost a kilometer away from shore. How great.

"Hey, get down already. Let's swim ashore and come back with help to retrieve this Jet Ski."

"I can't swim though? Hehe~" Lynn cutely scratched her head, embarrassed.

My eyes widened in astonishment. Are you serious? Why did you ride the Jet Ski then if you can't swim?!

"What do you mean you can't—[Barrier]!"

*bang!*

In the middle of my sentence, I was interrupted by a loud explosion. My barrier magic completely stopped it though so no one got hurt.

Looking at the thing that hit my barrier, I realized that it was a trident.

"Huh? What? Eh?" Lynn was surprised; she didn't know what was going on.

Meanwhile, the culprit hastily dove down into the sea after seeing that its attack failed. Unfortunately, it disappeared before I can even cast magic.

I think I was getting a bit rusty; because if it was before, that shithead would be in pieces right now.

Before the trident fell into the sea, I swiftly stored it inside my storage magic.

On second thought, I discarded the idea of swimming to the shore. Instead, I rode the Jet Ski with Lynn using psychokinetic magic to the shore.

When we got there, Lynn immediately started making a sand castle, oblivious to the fact that her life got threatened twice in such a short period of time. It's a relief that she didn't dwell too much about what happened earlier.

The next day, I spent the entire afternoon working on something. I discreetly casted a particular magic spell on the entire beach of Monaco, including the 5-kilometer radius sea near it.

I'm not a petty person, you see. But I do hold grudges. I especially hate it if I was attacked without prior notice, without rhyme nor reason.

After that, we spent the rest of the trip wandering the city of Monte-Carlo and boarded the plane back to New York early in the morning. Thus, our short 3-day trip to Monaco came to an end.


	9. Chapter 9

A week after the trip to Monaco.

"Finn! Fiiinnnn!"

I raised my head from the stack of paperwork as I heard a voice calling my name. I instantly knew who it was.

"Finn!"

"Quiet down, you fool." I scolded her.

After Lynn ran towards me, she tried to catch her breath, clearly exhausted from running. Right now, we're in the Daily Bugle building. Early in the morning after I arrived in her cubicle, Lynn instantly bolted out saying that she got something important to do. It's 12:00nn now; meaning, I've been doing all the paperwork that she was supposed to do for the past 5 hours.

"Where have you been? If you can't give me a good explanation..." I made a cutting motion on my neck as I slowly said those words.

"Fufu~" Lynn smiled proudly. Flashing a small black envelope, she jerked her head upwards. "See this? See this? This is what I've been working on!"

"Who died? What's that mourning card for?"

"It's not a mourning card! It's a birthday invitation card!"

"Oh, okay. Have fun." I curtly replied, uninterested.

"Heh. No, no, no. I'm not going alone." Shaking her head, Lynn pointed at me. "You're coming with me! Because this is Tony Stark's birthday party!"

Ah, so that's why she was this cheerful over a piece of paper. And that explains why she was out this whole morning. I can see the fatigue built up in her, resulting in those bags underneath her eyes. So she worked this hard, just so she could get an invitation...

But I couldn't care less because I already have a gaming schedule tonight. It's just a birthday party anyway, so nothing bad should happen, right?

...Right?

In the end, I reluctantly agreed about coming with her. Don't get me wrong. I'm just accompanying her to make sure she doesn't die, that's all. Because if she dies, there's a chance that I may lose my job too. (What a f*cking tsundere)

"*sigh* Fine. But we'll be back early, and no drinking. If you can promise me those, I'll go along with you."

"Alright then! Let's go! It would take 6 hours from here to Malibu so we shouldn't dawdle any longer."

As she finished talking, a question suddenly popped in my mind.

'Wait, how rich is this girl anyway?'

Last week, all the expenses we incurred for the trip to Monaco came from her personal allowance. That's including the airplane tickets, hotel's rent fee, Grand Prix tickets, all our foods plus that Jet Ski. Now that I think about it, the items inside her three pieces of luggage were all branded. Even her pet dogs; one is a little Chow Chow, and the other is a Pomeranian.

And now this time too. If she can dish out this amount of money in a short span of time, why is she still working on Daily Bugle as a simple journalist? I was curious, but I didn't dwell too much about it. She'll tell me when the time comes.

We arrived at the airport at exactly 6:30 pm. A butler-looking guy immediately greeted us and led us to a limousine. Lynn and I followed him inside as though it was only normal; though, in my mind, I was slightly surprised. Moreover, it was a Rolls Royce limousine.

Peeping in the driver's window, the butler respectfully said. "Shall we head straight to Mr. Stark's mansion, Young Miss?"

"Hmm~ wait a second." Lynn sized me up, scrutinizing me from the top down to the bottom. She then shook her head, sighing. "That's no good. You can't go to a billionaire's birthday party dressed up like that."

"Whose fault is it that we have to hurry here without changing clothes anyway?"

Hearing nothing, Lynn turned towards the driver. "Uncle, before we go to Mr. Stark's mansion, can we please dropped by somewhere else?"

"Understood, Young Miss." The driver then started driving.

According to Lynn, it should take roughly an hour drive from Long Beach Airport to Point Dume coast, the location of Stark's mansion. But because we're stopping by somewhere, we might arrive a little late than the agreed time.

After passing by the Malibu Lagoon, the limousine exited the Pacific coast highway, finally stopping at a Shell gas station. We went out of the car as Lynn led the way like she knew where everything is.

We first stopped by a clothing store called Maxfield. Lynn picked a variety of clothes while I tried them all. In the end, we took the black, semi-formal suit paired with a gray necktie.

Next, Lynn went inside a high-end women's clothing line called INTERMIX. I gotta say though; standing for 30 minutes while waiting for a woman to pick a dress is not something I'd like to experience again. Lynn finally decided on a gorgeous but simple black vintage dress and coat set.

Another 20 minutes later did we only get to see Stark's Mansion. It is a multi-level mansion built atop a cliff overlooking the view of the Pacific Ocean. The exterior exhibits a modern design with a lot of spirals and flat surfaces. When we arrived inside, it seems like the party has already started.

While I was expecting a more formal birthday party, like clinking with each other's wine glass while seated on a round table, what greeted us instead was a chaotic party. Stark is wearing his iconic Iron Man suit, obviously drunk as he wreaked havoc on the stage.

Lynn and I watched him stumbled towards a wine shelf, breaking a glass or two.

"You gotta be kidding me." Besides us, I can hear a black man talking to Ms. Potts. "That's it, I'm making…"

"No, no, no. Don't call anyone." Ms. Potts tried to stop the man.

"Pepper. This is ridiculous. I just stuck my neck out for this guy!"

It seems like the man is angry at Stark's behavior. Obviously, wearing the Iron Man suit while drunk is clearly not a rational decision.

"I know. I know. I get it. I'm gonna handle it, okay. Just let me handle it."

"Handle it. Or I'm gonna have to."

Ms. Potts then strode towards the stage.


	10. Chapter 10

On stage, Stark suddenly grabbed the mic and face the audience.

"You know the question I get asked most often is, 'Tony, how do you go to the bathroom in the suit?'" After he finished speaking, the sound of trickling water was heard. It was coming from inside of his suit. "Just like that."

Stark laughed loudly, while the audience laughed with him.

Just then, Ms. Potts finally arrived on the stage, taking the mic from him.

"Does this guy know how to throw a party or what?" Ms. Potts threw a clear sarcasm.

The audience cheered.

"I love you." Stark whispered.

"Aww. Unbelievable. Thank you so much. Tony, we all thank you so much for such a wonderful night. And we're gonna say good night now, and thank you all for coming…"

"No, no, no, we can't … Wait, wait, wait. We didn't have the cake. We didn't blow out the candles."

The couple whispered to each other, Ms. Potts trying to make Stark dismiss the party while Stark insists on continuing.

"Just send everybody home, okay? It's time to…"

"If you say so..."

"Okay? I'll take this, you take that." Ms. Potts said and took the beer bottle away from Stark's hand, while she gave the mic back to him.

Stark faced the audience.

"Pepper Potts. She's right. The party's over. Then again, the party was over for me, like, an hour and a half ago. The after-party starts in 15 minutes!" Stark loudly proclaimed, gaining the audience's cheers again. "And if anybody, Pepper, doesn't like it, there's the door."

After he finished speaking, he accidentally fired an energy blast towards the glass door, breaking it. The audience shouted louder.

Stark fired an energy blast towards the beer bottle a woman threw upwards. Needless to say, it shattered, sending sharp pieces all around. I shielded Lynn's eyes with my hands from some of the glass shrapnel that 'coincidentally' targeted her. This woman's luck was truly excellent.

In the corner of my eyes, I can see the black man that Ms. Potts talked to earlier heading downstairs.

Meanwhile, another woman appeared with a watermelon.

"I think she wants the Gallagher!"

A stronger energy blast came out from Stark's chest, blowing the melon into pieces.

The people cheered even more.

But suddenly, the black man I saw earlier came out with a similar Iron Man suit; the only difference was his was silver while Stark's painted in red and gold.

"I'm only gonna say this once." He looked around the audience with a commanding gaze. "Get out."

The audience scrambled to the door, including us, of course. Although Lynn wanted to stay, I forcefully dragged her out of the mansion while following the crowd. I know full well that those two would end up fighting, and Lynn staying there with her negative luck stats wasn't a good idea.

When we're outside, I quickly used [Clairvoyance]. This time, Lynn noticed the change in my eyes. So she pulled my sleeves, saying. "Hey, what is it? What is it? Let me see too!"

I had no choice but to share the [Clairvoyance] on her too, as she wouldn't stop bugging me until I do so. Thus, we watched Stark's fight with the black man, who he called Rhodey.

They fought in the gym, using the barbells to hit each other. They destroyed the equipment as they traded blows after blows. Eventually, they arrived on the floor we're at, just at the entrance of his mansion.

They resorted to dirty tricks, their fight quickly turning into a dog fight. Stark managed to briefly knock Rhodey out by smashing him to a counter.

He looked in our direction, where the audience had gathered.

"HraaAAaAHh!" Stark roared at the audience, making them flee out of fear.

Meanwhile, Lynn pulled me into a nearby plant, effectively hiding from plain sight. She then took out a camera out of nowhere.

After the people completely vanished, Rhodey suddenly stood up, grabbing a table in the process as he directly smashed it to Stark's naked back. Stark was thrown into the fireplace.

After recovering, Stark immediately raised his hand. Rhodey did the same.

"Put your hand down." Rhodey said.

"You think you got what it takes to wear that suit?"

"We don't have to do this, Tony."

"You wanna be the War Machine, take your shot."

Both of them refused to concede.

"Put it down!"

"You gonna take a shot?"

"Put it down!"

"No!"

Their gauntlets suddenly issued a screeching sound, the light building up.

"Drop it, Tony!"

"Take it!"

Then the energy blast met in the middle. It produced a beautiful circle blast that quickly became larger and finally creating a big explosion, blowing away both of them.

Meanwhile, my barrier magic repelled all the glass shards and debris that Lynn naturally attracted. And while the two wasn't looking, I swiftly pulled Lynn away and headed towards the limousine. She didn't resist this time, maybe because she already captured several good shots.

Our limousine then drove out of Stark's mansion. The birthday night ended in a way that no one could've possibly imagined.


	11. Chapter 11

May 31, 2010. Monday.

I got up early in the morning, brushed my teeth, and ate breakfast with my mom as usual. After that, I headed off for work. It's been more than a week now since I started working.

Meanwhile, Stark is doing fine. I discovered that the reason why he was dying is because of heavy metal poisoning induced by the palladium element in the Arc Reactor on his chest. And the next day after his disastrous birthday party, he met up with a man in a Donut store. The man had dark skin, bald, and a noticeable eye patch covering his left eye. Although I hate to admit it, the man looked very cool; almost seems like a secret mafia boss.

They discussed the legacy of Stark's father and something about making a group of superheroes. (Good grief, it's finally happening.)

Another surprise was that Natalie Rushman, who I previously knew as just Stark's assistant, was actually an agent sent by Nick Fury, the man with an eye patch. Nick Fury addressed her as Agent Romanoff.

After that, Fury left the property and legacy of Stark's father in Stark's hands.

Using his father's research, Stark discovered a message from his father that led him to examine the original 1974 diorama of the Stark Expo: in reality, a disguised diagram for the molecular structure of a new element. Stark hand-built a Particle Accelerator with the aid of his computer AI J.A.R.V.I.S and synthesized a new element, creating a new, perfected Arc Reactor that cured his palladium poisoning.

Unfortunately, I don't understand any of this either so I can't explain it to you too. I don't really become a science freak even if I casted [Parallel Thoughts], cause all it did was to quicken my brain processing, not making me a genius.

One thing is for sure though: This man's life really feels like it was taken from a movie somewhere.

I'm not really a fun of stalking, and I can't say that I enjoy watching/spying the life of a middle-aged man. But so many extraordinary things were happening around him that I can't help but be aware of his existence.

As I mull over these things, I realized that I'm already near Lynn's working cubicle. This girl has been cheerful since yesterday because even though we didn't get a Stark interview like what Robertson wanted, we did get news-worthy scoops. (Ms. Potts promotion to CEO; Stark and his friend's fight.)

"Finn! We've got a new assignment! Guess what?"

"'We've been assigned to go to the Stark Expo because we couldn't get the Stark interview in the end'- something like that?"

"What?! How did you know?!"

"How would I not know when it's written all over your face? Besides, I've already heard that you've been boasting about it ever since you arrived this morning."

"Hehe, thanks~"

"It's not a compliment, you blockhead." I sighed.

"Good grief. Lately, I get less and fewer hours to play video games or watch animes because of work. I wonder how long I can last..." Mumbling for the last time, I followed Lynn out of the office.

Night of the same day.

The Stark Expo is an exposition located in Queens, New York City that brings minds together from around the world and combines them to try and develop new inventions to improve quality of life for mankind and the world in the future. According to Lynn, it was created by Tony Stark's father, Howard Stark. The Expo ran from 1943 to 1974, until it was revived by Stark just this year.

The Expo is a gathering of tech-savvy people hoping to present their new inventions; so naturally, there would be plenty of investors attending and the media too.

There were many amazing inventions this year, but the one that shocked them the most was the presentation of a guy called Justin Hammer, president of the Hammer Industries.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today I present to you the new face of the United States military. The Hammer drone!"

After his speech ended, in one corner of the stage, a line of combat-looking robots rose out of the floor. The robots were not unlike that of Iron Man, albeit with a bigger frame and it's remote-controlled, not a suit.

"Army!" Justin Hammer pointed at the 8 Hammer drones equipped with shoulder-mounted tank guns and wrist-mounted machine guns. A military song started playing.

"Navy!" What came out next was the same 8 Hammer drones with only a slight difference in design from the first ones. It was equipped with two shoulder and wrist-mounted missile launchers, and a wrist-mounted machine gun.

"Air force!" The next to appear was a line of Hammer drones not too dissimilar to the Navy ones, the only difference is that the Air force drones are equipped with a back-mounted machine gun. It also appears slimmer and lighter than the other two.

"Marine Corps!" And lastly, a line of Hammer drones with a camouflage interior and is equipped with wrist-mounted machine guns and missile launchers.

On stage, Justin Hammer appeared ecstatic as he showcased his creations.

"Yeah! Yeah! Woo! That's a hell of a lot better than some cheerleaders, let me tell you. But as revolutionary as this technology is, there will always be a need for man to be present in the theatre of war."

Suddenly, in the middle of the Hammer drones, a single robot came out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today I am proud to present to you the very first prototype in the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit and its pilot, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes!"

It was the man who fought Stark on his mansion, and the one who took one of his armor. The silver Iron Man suit that we saw a few days back completely looked different now. It was repainted with a much darker color and it was obviously weaponized, the evidence being the machine gun mounted on its shoulder and wrists.

Rhodes made a salute, and all Hammer drones followed.

Just when Justin Hammer was about to continue his speech, in one corner of the stadium, Stark's iconic Iron Man suit of red and gold suddenly appeared. He flew directly to the stage, landing with a loud thud.

Stark walked up to Rhodes and pretended to give the cheering audience a friendly wave. They seemed to be talking about something, so I used my [Clairvoyance] to peep in.

"We got trouble."

Just that one sentence from Stark and I was instantly tempted to cancel the magic.

"Tony, there are civilians present. I'm here on orders. Let's not do this right now."

"All these people are in danger. We gotta get them out of here. You gotta trust me for the next five minutes."

It seems like the guy, Ivan Vanko, who attacked Stark at the Grand Prix last week escaped in prison and was working with Justin Hammer, the man currently standing on stage.

Stark suddenly approached Justin. "Where is he?"

"What?"

"Where's Vanko?"

"Who?"

"Tell me."

Panic can be seen in Justin's eyes, but he still tried his best to deny Stark's accusation. "What are you doing here, man?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." But then, Rhodes suddenly exclaimed. The machine gun mounted on his shoulder moved and pointed at Stark.

"Is that you?" Stark asked.

"No, I'm not doing that. That's not me. I can't move. I'm locked up. I'm locked up!" Rhodes warned. "Get out of here. Go! This whole system's been compromised!"

"Then let's take it outside." Stark suddenly flew upwards as the Hammer drones started shooting at him, breaking the glass roof.

I covered Lynn's head from the falling glass shards. The audience stirred up, panicking at the sudden gunfire, causing a stampede. I grabbed Lynn's hand as we followed the crowd out of the stadium.

Meanwhile, Rhodes' suit and 8 Hammer drones followed Stark to the skies, quickly vanishing in sight.

Just as I was relieving over the fact that it's finished, the remaining Hammer drones on the ground started to move. They began firing on the surroundings.


	12. Chapter 12

Naturally, Lynn attracted quite a lot of astray missiles. I became busy as I tried to protect her with the barrier magic while making sure that no one will see it.

"Save them!" Lynn suddenly shouted, pulling my sleeves as she pointed at the people being caught up in the explosions.

"Why?" I don't understand what she meant, so I had to ask.

"Wha-" Lynn was astounded. "Is there supposed to be a reason just to save them?!"

I looked around.

True, some people are being caught up in the explosions. The 24 Hammer drones targeted and destroyed all the things they see in sight, not sparing anything. The unlucky ones that get caught up in the explosions suffered a mild to intense injury or burn. There are kids, there are elderly people; all women and men, regardless of age and gender, wouldn't get spared from a robot's calculated missile.

Nevertheless, I still failed to notice the essence of why I needed to save them just because they're 'humans'. Just because humans are intellectual beings, it doesn't give them the right to be spared at all times. During my time as a Demon Lord, I killed indiscriminately, humans and beasts alike. For me, humans are no more than just slightly better thinker than other animals. It goes on without saying that that mindset has been engraved in me for the past thousands of years.

"I still don't get why I need to save them." I honestly stated my thoughts to her.

Lynn's eyes widened. "You..."

I blocked a missile headed her way by discreetly casting barrier magic around us. The explosion engulfed both me and her, but the barrier kept the fire out. As the explosion subsided, I can see the resolution in Lynn's eyes.

"If you don't want to save them, then..." Lynn ran off, not finishing her sentence.

In the distance, an elderly woman is having the trouble of moving her wheelchair. There are no people around her that dared to help as they cared for themselves first before others. Just this scene proved that even the kindest people cower in the face of death.

But suddenly, out of nowhere, a blonde girl appeared to help the elderly woman. It was Lynn. She helped the woman push the wheelchair out of harm's way. However, before she could do so, an astray missile fired by a Hammer drone went straight towards them. As Lynn witnessed it, instead of running, she embraced the elderly woman instead.

*Boom!* They were engulfed by the fire.

When the spectators were sure that the two were dead, Lynn and the elderly woman appeared unscathed. Naturally, it was because of my barrier magic; or else, even if Lynn has 9 lives, she would still get blown to bits by the missile.

I sighed. Lynn looked at me with a smile for a moment before proceeding to push the elderly woman. Only after finding the woman's family did she came running back towards me.

"Finn, thank you!" Lynn ran up to me with wide open arms. I know where this is going so I immediately put a stop to her by grabbing her head.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." I shrugged her off. "I didn't do it for you so don't be thankful. I just remembered that my salary came from yours, so the work that I did for the last week would've been for naught if you suddenly died."

"You can have my salary then! Just let me hug you-"

"No thanks, you can have it."

'You can't die until I solve that mystery of yours. Or at least leave a body for me to dissect.' I thought in my mind.

Of course, I didn't say it out loud.

Lynn finally stopped struggling. Standing up straight, she looked at me with cute puppy eyes. She repeatedly blinked her long eyelashes. "Finn, please? Just this once..."

"As I said, I don't see the reason why I must help. It's not like these people-"

"Ahhh man, the upcoming Xbox 360 S will be released in 20 days huh. I heard there's also a game called, what is it again? Call of Duty: Black Ops, right? Yeah, that game. It sure is nice to have those sets huh. If only there's someone who's willing to help..." Lynn said while glancing at me.

Hmph, you think that can entice me?

"Consider it done." Replying curtly, I took a quick stride to a nearby Hammer drone and touched it on its back. Immediately after, electric sparks ran over the course of its entire body. The next thing that happened was; the drone fell into several pieces, turning it into useless junk.

Tier 3 magic, [Disassemble]. It simply returns back the item's original state before it was modified or made. A simple magic spell that all craftsman can cast.

I continued doing that to the drones before the manipulator noticed something amiss. After I disassembled the 6th one, the remaining 18 drones finally targeted me. The missiles and machine guns focused their fire in my direction.

"Finn!"

I can hear Lynn's worried voice outside of the fire zone that engulfed me. I transmitted a message through telepathy magic. Don't worry, I'm fine.

She was surprised at first, and then I heard her voice again. Okay, just be careful alright.

'Isn't she getting the hang of it really quick?' I silently thought to myself. 'But then again, it's just Lynn. So maybe she just did it on impulse...'

I shrugged these useless thoughts out of my head and focused on the situation. The short moment they reloaded, I immediately seized the chance.

"How about you get a taste of your own medicine? [Magic Missile]."

A hundred magic circles surrounded me, giving an ominous light. The most basic tier 3 magic filled the sky as they blasted all the drones into nothingness.

"[Erase magic trace]"

Finally casting that unique Dragonian magic, I left the place with Lynn in tow.

On the way to the parking lot, where Lynn's driver is, a speeding Stark in his Iron Man suit passed us by. He flew towards the direction of the stadium. The previous shiny suit is now ragged and full of scratches.

A little while later, I heard several muffled explosion. I used [Clairvoyance], wondering what's happening.

Then I saw the drones that I had not destroyed, those I disassembled, exploding in flames. Oops, it looks like those drones have a self-destruct mechanism. Thankfully, I destroyed most of them.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning, Lynn visited my house. She held a big plastic bag as she entered the living room. Putting down that bag, she proceeded to sit on the table where I and my mom were eating. The girl with no shame helped herself to some toast like it's her own house. Mom lightly chuckled at her actions, clearly amused.

As I finished eating, I can't help but notice her motives.

"It must be no good if you directly come to my house early in the morning."

"How rude. I already brought your new Xbox, you know."

"Really?"

I stood up and opened the plastic bag. It's true; it's the new Xbox 360 S game console that was newly developed by Microsoft. Although, it was only supposed to be released on June 18. There's still more than 2 weeks remaining before its public release...

But suddenly, I recalled that this girl might be insanely rich, so it's not a strange thing for her if she gets something before it is released to the public.

However, this means... I squinted my eyes at her.

"In exchange..."

I knew it the moment Lynn's eyes sparkled.

"... I found these on the web and thought that maybe we should take a look? I already booked the flights, so don't worry... Please don't glare at me like that!"

I sighed, taking the phone from her hands.

'Hammer challenge: Lift the hammer in the crater and win old Harry's old collection of toys. 100% Impossible Challenge.'

After reading it, I looked weirdly at Lynn. She was grinning from ear to ear, showing me two rows of white teeth.

"If you want the toys that badly..."

"Tha-that's not it! Read it carefully! See? See? It said 'impossible to lift'. You know what this means, right?!"

"Someone glued it there?"

"N-noooo... please, just agree, okay? I already called the driver..."

In the end, it was up to me again to decide. I sighed, knowing full well that she won't stop giving me those looks until I agreed. I was forced to join her antics again.

"Good grief."

7 hours later, we arrived in a town called Puente Antiguo in New Mexico. It has a semi-arid climate, a small town in the middle of nowhere with only a rough road connecting it to the big cities.

We are in an off-road vehicle, a white Lamborghini LM002. The driver's still the same butler. Then from the town of Puente Antiguo, we continued heading west, traveling nearly 50 miles until we finally saw the crater. It was a really huge crater with a depth of approximately 2-3 meters. Surrounding it were the cars of merry locals participating in the said challenge.

Our vehicle stopped just outside the crater, Lynn and I got off respectively. Not wasting any more time, Lynn immediately jumped to the crater. I had to secretly cast [Feather Fall] because of it. I followed after her.

In the center of the crater was a single hammer stuck on a protruding stone.

We watched as the locals wrapped it in a chain connected in an old pickup truck. After that, the truck suddenly accelerated, pulling the chains into a full stretch. However, the hammer didn't budge in the least. Instead, it was the truck that crumbled; its rear end gave up as it was ripped apart.

"That is one strong hammer." Lynn exclaimed.

"Or a lot of superglue."

"Shh. Now, do your thing."

"What thing? What are you talking about?" As I gave a half-hearted answer, Lynn glared at me.

"Your magic! Come on, work your magic!"

"Alright, alright. Don't shout. Good grief."

I carefully observed the hammer. On first glance, it looks like a typical war-hammer used by the barbarians in the magical world. But the thing is, the hammer contained a lot of magical power visible even without me using mana observation magic.

"Interesting."

Despite stealthily casting a tier 5 [Mana Seer] magic, the most I can observe is the massive amount of magical power imbued on each writing on the hammer. I deactivated the magic, and then I switched to unique tier [All-seer eyes], mainly used by the dragons. It was this magic that I used when I previously inspected the whole world along with [Clairvoyance]. (see on prologue)

"Shit. This really is interesting."

What I saw through the magic was the tiny amount of God-powers imbued on the hammer itself. What is God-power, you ask? In simplest terms, it was a restriction. A divine order, so to speak. It was an unbreakable type of magic that can only be broken by the same God-powers or stronger. The reason why Gods doesn't directly meddle in human affairs is that usage of God-powers can potentially harm that world in the process.

I smiled bitterly. No matter how powerful I can be, even if I can destroy this Earth single-handedly, I am still no match against God-powers. It is my limitation as an ordinary being.

I might've had a chance if I would perform a Godhood ascension ceremony right now, but I choose to refuse. I don't really want to have a huge responsibility (burden) just because of some 'God' title. I don't plan on ascending right now.

Nevertheless, I would lie to myself if I said I am not curious about this thing at all. I mean ffs a God just dropped a hammer from the sky and left no one to watch it (although he sealed it). For what reason? What is he possibly trying to achieve? Is this some kind of a sign for world invasion? I would like to meet this spunky God if possible and tell him to go f*ck off another world instead. I've already got my hands full with just one Lynn, good grief.

"Hey, it's time to go. I can't do anything with this thing."

"Eh? There's something you can't do?"

'Oi, oi. Don't just assume that I'm omnipotent like a God. I just said that I'm still not a God, didn't I?' I shrugged in annoyance as I pulled Lynn away from the crater. But before we completely leave, I stopped on the edge of the crater.

"?!"

Just as I tried to cast marking magic to monitor the situation day and night, I instantly canceled it. I frantically looked around, trying to find that penetrating gaze that I felt a while back. Seeing no one suspicious, I casted my gaze downwards.

'You can see me, can't you?' I spoke in my mind.

I waited for a reply while disregarding Lynn's calls.

After a few moments, a short reply was transmitted in my mind.

Yes. Yes, I can.


	14. Chapter 14

What a frightening ability for a mortal of Earth.

'What frightens me more is that you're just using your senses to see me, am I right? You're not even using magic, you freak.'

...That is correct.

My lips twitched as the deep voice honestly admitted. I recalled again the unfairness of the world. While I suffered for hundreds of years just to acquire my power, some people are just naturally born with it. 'Luck, skills, techniques: all is nothing in the face of unrivaled talent.' I learned it the hard way.

But you need not worry, human. I will not meddle in your affairs so long as you don't meddle in ours.

'Don't worry, I have no reason to. But can I ask something?'

The voice took his time before giving a reply. What is it?

Curving my lips upwards, I asked the question I have in mind ever since he spoke.

'You're... not the God who is behind this thing, am I right?'

Indeed. I am not.

He admitted it instantly.

'And I take it that your God doesn't have any other ulterior motives in sending this thing?'

Yes. The All-father banished that hammer along with his son in that world.

Banished? Son? Sounds like a family problem to me. A trouble I'd like to avoid at all cost. But as a test, I asked a slightly daring question.

'If so, you wouldn't mind at all if I steal this hammer, would you?'

The voice went silent for a long time this time. Then, a resolute reply came.

The Mjølnir is a semi-sentient treasure. Should one be worthy to wield the Mjølnir, he shall possess the power of Thor. However, you are not worthy. Your soul is tainted by the lives of countless beings, enough to be the equal of the Ruler of Hel.

'Don't casually throw in foreshadows like that. Besides, I'm just kidding. I knew it the moment I saw the hammer that it won't accept me... Oh, and one last thing.'

...

The voice waited for me while I prepared to cast a special magic.

"I don't like getting monitored."

Unique tier space magic [Perfect Barrier of Interference: Dragonian].

The Dragon species, which are known to be detached from the world, especially made this barrier to avoid Gods' eyes. Adding to that, magic spells that have an adjective in their names are not only there for show. The magic's name is the essence of the magic itself. Meaning, creating a magic spell with the word 'Perfect' attached in it is considered one of the greatest achievement a sorcerer can achieve.

In short, it is safe to say that that guy couldn't monitor me or my surroundings ever again, no matter how strong his senses are. Of course, I was curious about the 'banishment' of the son too. However, it's not the reason why he was banished I was curious about, but the 'process' of his banishment.

I mean come on, from that guy's tone and all, it already screams of the word 'otherworlder'. Or else, how can you explain a being that can see me and talk to me without using magic at all?

In the end, what I'm trying to say to you is: they must've used a teleportation magic strong enough to travel through worlds, am I right? My past life's failure is just on the other side of that world...

I am lying to myself if I said I'm not curious even one bit on how they managed to do that. But despite all of that, I chose to ask less; because the less I know, the less chance I'll get involved in their matters.

Somewhere else; where the planet isn't round, and it doesn't revolve nor rotate.

A lone figure can be seen standing inside what seems like an observatory. The observatory is made up of some sort of gold-like metal. It was round in shape with a pointed cone on top. Weirdly enough, it was also connected to a rainbow-like glass bridge.

Inside the observatory, the said figure was equipped in an expensive looking armor. The armor was a gold metal chest plate that extended into shoulder guards, worn over simple brown clothing. He also had a golden horned helmet. The figure wore black pants, gold boots and arm-bracers.

The colors of his eyes were glowing in a mysterious bright orange.

"He's gone."

The man mumbled with a deep voice. He held a massive sword in front of him.

"A mortal who can hide under my watch..."

It was the deep voice that Finn heard earlier.

"I suppose there's always a thing for a first."

The man closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, it was no longer glowing in bright orange. It turned back to its normal amber color.

Lynn's POV

Finn said that he failed to find anything weird about the hammer, but I didn't believe him. I mean, he stood for an entire 20 minutes just standing there, you know? Who can stand for an entire 20 minutes staring on a hammer? He's absolutely not being honest, you know?

But being a wonderful and understanding girl I am, I agreed to go back to the town. Reluctantly, okay?

On our way back, we passed by a convoy of several black cars heading towards the crater. It's the typical black cars=secret agents cliché!

As I pulled the driver's sleeves to make a U-turn order, Finn stopped me. He said that "the car doesn't have enough gasoline, so we'll just check it tomorrow. Good grief"

Apparently, the car won't have enough gasoline if we'll make a U-turn towards the crater again for another 25 miles and another 50 miles just to go back in town.

I reluctantly agreed again. No choice. Even though Finn is supposed to be my assistant...

We chose the town first and planned to go and check the crater before we return to New York tomorrow.


End file.
